Copyright by Kristen Courtney Wilkerson 2003
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Copyright by Kristen Courtney Wilkerson 2003 The Dissertation Committee for Kristen Courtney Wilkerson certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Cyber-Campaigning for Congress: A Cultural Analysis of House Candidate Web Sites Committee: Gary B. Wilcox, Supervisor Sharon E. Jarvis, Co-Supervisor Neal M. Burns Deborah K. Morrison Jef I. Richards Cyber-Campaigning for Congress: A Cultural Analysis of House Candidate Web Sites by Kristen Courtney Wilkerson, B.A., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2003 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated, first and foremost, to my husband, David. Throughout the research process, he never ceased to provide intelligent thoughts, constant encouragement, and an eager ear. There is no doubt that without his love and support, I could not have completed such a daunting task. I would also like to express heartfelt thanks to my father and mother, Tom and Jo Earnhart, for their constant love and never-ending faith in me. No matter which paths I've chosen in life -- and there have been a few -- they have never once questioned my choices or my abilities. I am so very grateful to be their daughter. And finally, thank you to my yellow Labrador, Simon, for sitting patiently at my feet, being a good boy (most of the time), and keeping me company during countless hours of research. Acknowledgements There are several intelligent, kind, and persistent faculty members who took the time and energy to see this dissertation to completion. Without their advice and counsel, I would likely still be trying to choose a topic. I would first like to thank my Committee Supervisor, Dr. Gary Wilcox, for allowing me to write my dissertation from afar, and for gently but consistently keeping me on the right track. A very special thank you also goes to my Co- Supervisor, Dr. Sharon Jarvis of Communication Studies, who generously crossed departmental lines to guide me through the dissertation process by offering valuable insight, reading endless drafts, and providing much-needed motivation. I also wish to express my deepest gratitude to the other three members of my Committee: Dr. Neal Burns, an unbelievably brilliant man who never stopped pushing me to proudly accept my strengths and humbly improve upon my weaknesses; Dr. Deborah Morrison, whom I enjoyed working with so much (how did I win that coveted assistantship?) and who always reminded me to take my vitamins; and finally, Dr. Jef Richards, the first faculty member I met upon arriving at the University of Texas at Austin, and the one I often turned to at moments of crisis or concern during my studies. The guidance, time, and knowledge of these individuals have proven invaluable. Finally, I would like to acknowledge my three independent coders and fellow University of Texas students, Taylor Falls, Austin Gilliland, and Krista Kiecke, who spent countless hours ensuring that this research was performed both v ethically and reliably. I am very grateful for their kindness, intelligence, and dedication to this project. vi Cyber-Campaigning for Congress: A Cultural Analysis of House Candidate Web Sites Publication No._____________ Kristen Courtney Wilkerson, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2003 Supervisor: Gary B. Wilcox Co-Supervisor: Sharon E. Jarvis Largely inspired by the evolution of political advertising over the last several years, this dissertation examines the rapidly changing relationship between campaign communication and the Internet. More specifically, the study explores, through a cultural lens, how politics and politicians are being packaged and presented on the World Wide Web at the dawn of the 21st century. Working under the assumption that Web sites function as part of an overall political campaign strategy, this research employs a series of thirteen in-depth interviews with political Web designers and a content analysis of 145 campaign sites (as well as a comparison of those sites to 118 legislative sites) to examine the online vii advertising strategies of Congressional candidates, and their implications for political campaigns and public life in the United States. Based upon the theory that campaign advertising, more than any other form of political communication, encourages important dialogue and interaction between candidates and their audiences, this study predicted that the campaign sites of U.S. House candidates would be superior to the official government sites of sitting Representatives in three key areas: information, creativity, and technology. Due to the competitive nature of campaigns, it was also expected that candidates' sites would feature more partisan content and more references to political opposition. Results of the present research indicate that while campaign sites included more technology, more partisan content, and more political opposition, legislative sites were slightly more informative and creative. Additionally, it was found that the sites of Republicans and incumbent candidates generally displayed higher frequencies in each category than those of Democrats and challengers. viii Table of Contents List of Tables.................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures................................................................................................... xiv List of Illustrations............................................................................................. xv Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................1 Current Research on Web Campaigning .....................................................4 Study Purpose ............................................................................................4 Data and Methods ......................................................................................5 Interviews ..........................................................................................6 Content Analysis ................................................................................7 Organization of the Dissertation ..................................................................8 Chapter 2: The World of Politics Meets the World Wide Web ....................10 Politics on the Web ..................................................................................11 Political Advertising on the Web: A Cultural Approach ...........................23 Cultural Theory ...............................................................................23 Advertising from Ancient Greece to Modern-day America ..............25 Benefits of Using a Cultural Approach ............................................27 Advertising and Culture ...................................................................28 Communication Studies, Political Science, and Culture ...................30 Politicians on the Web ..............................................................................33 Legislator Web Sites ........................................................................34 Candidate Web Sites ........................................................................39 Political Advertising and Advancements in Information Technologies .....44 Current Study ...........................................................................................46 Background .....................................................................................46 ix Contribution ....................................................................................47 Summary ..................................................................................................49 Hypotheses ......................................................................................51 Chapter 3 Methodology ..................................................................................53 Measurement Criteria ...............................................................................54 Information Content ........................................................................54 Creative Content...............................................................................56 Technological Content .....................................................................58 Partisan Content ..............................................................................60 Political Opposition .........................................................................61 Interviews ................................................................................................63 Sample and Procedure .....................................................................64 Content Analysis ......................................................................................71 Sample and Procedure ......................................................................72 Chapter 4 The Creative Minds Behind the Sites ...........................................79 The Role of Advertising Creatives on the Web .........................................80 Previous Research on Advertising Creatives .............................................81 Advertising Creatives and Culture ............................................................83 Findings ...................................................................................................86 Development of Site Content............................................................87